Intern For Blacksmith/ Horse Trainer

During the Summer of 2010, I interned for a Horse Trainer and Blacksmith, Jack Earhart.  My goal is to become and Equine Veterinarian and to do so, I need as much experience working with horses as I can possibly get.  While I wouldn't be doing much Blacksmith work as a vet, I still think that it was an interesting experience to have.  Jack is the blacksmith for the horses at the stables that I teach horseback riding lessons at.  First, I had to talk to him about interning with him for part of the summer.  He said that he agreed because he could tell that I was genuinely interested in learning as much as I possibly could about horses.  My time interning with him was very exhausting.  Since most of the places we went were over an hour away, and there was a lot to be done, I had to be out on the road by 6 AM.  We usually did not finish for the day until between 6 and 7 PM, either.  It was especially exhausting because it was in the summer heat.  Despite the fact that I was constantly drenched in sweat, I loved the experience.  I went to different racetracks, horse training facilities, and privately owned farms.  I learned about different kinds of horseshoes and all about the blacksmith trade and process.  I was even able to pull a shoe (take a horseshoe off), which is a lot harder than it looks.  I also learned a great deal about horse behavior and the training side of the business.  I was often working with very expensive and very strong race horses, so it was a challenge to learn the different techniques that are used on such powerful athletes.  Jack also taught me about training barrel racing horses.  I learned how to teach the horses different skills that they need to know for barrel racing, as well.  I know that all of these skills will be very useful in my future of working to become an Equine Veterinarian.